SPECIAL REPORT

Chinese Believers Update with Paul Hsieh

This week (January 6) on Shabbat Night Live, Paul Hsieh brings an exciting report of how YeHoVaH is empowering saints across Asia with the truth of his Word — and it’s spreading like wildfire!

It’s a bright light of hope in a part of the world that is being oppressed like none other… hope that that is raising up an end-time army of righteousness!

Watch the episode — included on this blog post.

While you watch, consider the questions below. The timeline for each discussion topic in the video is noted on each question. Post your answers in the comments section, and let’s get some discussion going!

  1. (VIDEO TIMELINE: 16:00) What is the likelihood of a Torah-based evangelization as a source of diplomacy or improved international relations for a powerful, secular state-capitalist nation like China? How might the orientation toward Jerusalem as a center of belief and practice provoke the imaginations and spiritual yearnings of a populace more successfully than conventional political ambassadorships and negotiations?
  2. (VIDEO TIMELINE: 20:00) Similarly, how can the pandemic, with its attendant lockdowns and limited human interactions, be viewed as a providential example of the end-times reflex for the people of China and Taiwan? How does the prospect of a state-mandated confinement ironically serve to inspire an introspection and spiritual growth that can surpass any man-made limitation of human potential for the seeking of transcendent truth?
  3. (VIDEO TIMELINE: 24:00) How does the possible interpretation of “the land of Sinim” in Isaiah 49:12, as a reference to the Far East, serve to remind the Western faithful of the comprehensive nature of Yeshua’s command to evangelize all nations? Despite its indeterminate meaning, how does it further suggest the presence of ancient trade routes, like the Roman roads of a later epoch, as conduits for spreading the truth of YeHoVaH by his faithful followers?  
  4. (VIDEO TIMELINE: 28:00) How might the controversial and vulnerable identity of Taiwan in its engagement with China also be viewed as providential for international believers in light of its fortuitous relations with Western nations? How could this small but resilient Indo-Pacific country become an effectual liaison between the first-world faithful and a hostile global superpower – a future contest of wills between human spirituality and atheistic materialism?
  5. (VIDEO TIMELINE: 32:00) How does this view of Taiwan as an apostolate nation gain strength and definition from the passion of the spiritual awakening among a younger generation who have applied their intellectual ethos to the study of scripture? How might the near future of those Taiwanese who will lead their country’s institutions come to resemble the examples of the heroes and heroines of Tiananmen Square during the collapse of Communism at the dawn of the 1990s?
  6. (VIDEO TIMELINE: 40:00) Similarly, how might Taiwan’s distinction as a territory without religious persecution serve to enlighten its potential believers about the dynamic between the provincial followers of Yeshua in the first century and the punitive power of the Roman Empire? How might this perspective help to encourage the belief in the power of prayer to undermine the “paganism” of atheistic materialism, however monolithic its influence?
  7. (VIDEO TIMELINE: 44:00) Despite official censorship, many sources of “subversive” information continue to be circulated in samizdat form by courageous individuals in autocratic nations. How might the various publications of Michael Rood ultimately take their place alongside accounts by political dissidents and other “enemies of the state” as sources of inspiration and examples of divinely-given free will?
  8. (VIDEO TIMELINE: 48:00) As Hsieh emphasizes, The Book of Acts continues to resonate as a historical and doctrinal guide to evangelization. What new insights about this crucial text might be contributed to believers in Western nations thanks to the interpretations of Chinese speakers in their frequently dangerous negotiations with political authority?  As their faith communities take form, who might come to represent a vulnerable figurehead like Paul?
  9. (VIDEO TIMELINE: 52:00) Similarly, how does the growth of these communities in remote villages demonstrate the inherent difficulty of a repressive government – controlling thought and belief via traditional methods of censorship and surveillance? However, gradually, how does the utilization of hard copy text and word-of-mouth communication tend to erode the strictures of autocracy, whether in first-century Palestine or present-day China?
  10. (VIDEO TIMELINE: 54:00) Aside from evangelization among the Chinese, how does a grass-roots effort like Kingdom for Jesus face an arguably new dimension of difficulty that is present for virtually every faith community within today’s major geopolitical environments? What sort of dilemmas must be faced as religious freedom deteriorates under the increasing influence of what has recently been called the rise of the New Caesars – a disturbing throwback to the same arbitrary political personality cults that brought down past empires?

Choosing Faith or Fear

My father-in-law taught me something a long time ago.  He said, “Tedd, you can either live in faith or fear, but you can’t live in both. It’s your choice.”

Webster’s Dictionary defines fear as “an unpleasant, often strong emotion, caused by anticipation or awareness of danger or doom.”

Now, I’m just like any other man who can have doubts or fears – fears about health, fears about finances, fears about personal relationships, even fears about my relationship with The Father.

On the other hand, the Bible defines faith in Hebrews 11 as “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

The Bible really doesn’t define fear, but simply tells us, “Fear Not!”…

“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.”
– John 4:18

 

“And the Lord appeared to Isaac the same night and said, ‘I am the God of your father Abraham; do not fear, for I am with you’.”
– Genesis 24:26

Finally, in 1 Chronicles 28:20, David says to his son Solomon, “’Be strong and of good courage; do not fear nor be dismayed, for the Lord God – my God – will be with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you’.”

Again, my father-in-law Ron taught me that fear and faith are both spiritual elements – elements that can’t take up the same space.  

If you live in fear, then faith just simply is not present; but if you live in faith, fear cannot exist either.

YeHoVaH wants you to live in faith, to live in hope, love, happiness and peace, not in fear.  That is nothing more than Satan bringing doubt and hopelessness into your life.

In fact, the Bible says “fear not” 365 times in one form or another. If you think about it, that’s a “Fear Not” for every day of the year!

So now you have a choice: to live as The Almighty would have you live – in faith and hope – or as Satan would have it, in fear and despair.

Don’t allow negativity to dwell in your life. Anger, fear, doubt. It’s all of the Devil.

Choose YeHoVaH.

Choose life.

Choose faith.


Where is Your Heart Today?

As a pastor, I had many instances when people would come up to me and ask: “What truly does Matthew 6:21 mean?”

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

My normal response is “Well, it’s complicated.” You see, Yeshua always talked in the simplest language, so that the people of the time would understand – most of the time in parables, in other times, simple sentences.  I think he was saying “You give where you love” or maybe better interpreted, “Give where you are loved…” Is that what you are doing? Yeshua also said:
Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.” – Luke 6:38
And in this verse he talks about the ultimate giving:
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” – John 3:16
In short, I believe that Yeshua thought that giving was one of the most important things that we believers can do. It shows our trust in the Almighty, that when we give unto him, he truly gives back to us in return. In fact, it was the very thing that the Almighty said in Malachi 3:10: “Test me on this.” But be wise – He wants you to give but plant your seed into good soil, soil that bear fruit. Every day here at A Rood Awakening! International, our prayer warriors are praying and interceding for people literally all over the world. And our broadcasts are ministering to young and old alike in English, Spanish, German, Russian, Chinese and soon, in Italian and French. We aim to teach Truth to a lost and dying world. Your giving of the Truth brings people out of the darkness and into the light of Yeshua. So do your homework. See the fruit that comes from this ministry. See how lives are changed. How bonds are broken. How health is restored to the sick. And how people’s lives and relationships are made whole again. Please consider giving your best gift to A Rood Awakening! International and Michael Rood – click here to give online or call us at 800.788.7887. From Michael and the entire Rood Crew, we wish you LOVE, peace and happiness. Blessings to you all and have a GREAT week!